The United States should adopt a different method of electing a president. Our current voting system has several problems. A positive change would happen by changing the age for voting, stopping the use of I.D. laws, and allowing more electronic voting.
By changing the voting age to as young as seventeen, there would be a greater increase in the percentage of voting, as of this upcoming election. Teenagers want to create emphasizes on the importance of voting, and in a recent Politico article written by Peter Levine, argued that allowing people to vote at a young age would encourage them. “… 17 may be a better age… most [teenagers] are still living at home, where they can see parents voting… [and hear about it] in school.” Thousands of high-school students in Toronto area are ‘getting a chance to experience what it’s like to vote as part of a Canada-wide initiative to educate you people about their civic duty’ (CTV Toronto, A Lesson in Democracy). Many teenagers have opinions on how their lives are going to be affected, and lowering the voting
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Whether it is a driver’s license or a military I.D., many teenagers don’t have either identification, which is pushed by the Voter I.D. Law to have one. The Voter I.D. Law is a law that requires some form of identification in order to vote for an election. There is a controversy over this issue of using an identification to vote. Republicans feel that this will “protect the integrity of our Democracy” (Von Spakovsky, Voter I.D. Laws), and Democrats feel that this law will “keep people from voting” (Weiser, Voter I.D. Laws). The Republicans want to prevent voter fraud, which is a prevention of adding risk to the honesty of the election. But Republicans are “make[ing] it harder for Americans to exercise the most basic right…” (LA Time) at an attempt to deprive blacks and Latinos from
...adults compared to older adults were less likely to respond that voting was extremely important for good citizenship (133). He concludes that it is too late for the generation of young adults that do not feel voting is an important civic responsibility, however, that it is not too late to convince them that politics matter by showing them that they are giving their opportunity to make important decisions that may impact their lives to others who have different ideas. One may agree with Wattenberg’s idea that habits follow people throughout their lives instead of changing as they cycle in life. His personal accounts are an impactful way to illustrate the importance of building a sense of duty at a young age and carrying that responsibility throughout one’s life.
Out of all Canadian age groups, the voter turnout for young voters is the most disappointing. In specific today’s youth are less likely to vote, less interested in politics, and know less about politics compared to all other Canadians. This brings about a great deal of concern, as young people are the future of this country, and are expected to uphold the expectations put on them by their older counterparts. Youth are still being affected by the consequences brought about by politics; they still go to school, get jobs, get sick, and so forth, so why is it that they feel indifferent?
The young as well as the older people of Canada seem to be in a deadlock. The question of if the federal government should or should not lower the voting age is a question debated surely around the dinner tables of families in Canada, as well as in the ranks of the government. Some people even suggest that the age needs to be raised. What would make people want the voting age to be lowered to an even lower age than the young adult age of 18? On the other hand how can the youth of Canada who have their own individual views be able to make a difference without being able to vote? Both sides provide for an intriguing look into the facts and resolutions for an appropriate way to either change the voting age or keep it the same. Throughout this paper I will look at and analyze the arguments of the youth who claim to be 'disenfranchised', as well as others who see the lowering of the voting age to be detrimental rather than an improvement to the Government of Canada's political process. In 1854, before Canada became a responsible government the only people allowed to vote were people who had a high value of land which they owned, and had a high income. Women and people with other ethnic backgrounds and religious beliefs were also denied the right to vote. This did not mean that these people did not have their views and beliefs on who and what they wanted in their government but rather they were denied the right. These laws have changed since then drastically and Canada has become a democratic country (rule by the people). However, the frustration of not being able to vote and support their ideals and politicians does live on in the hearts and minds of thousands of young Canadians under the age of eighteen. The...
It’s very unsettling to know that there was a six percent decrease in young voters (ages 18-29) in the 2012 election compared to 2008 (Circle Youth data). In 2007 the National Conference of State Legislatures publicly released a report and data set on voter turnout in democratic countries. This is a quote from that report titled Getting out the Vote, “It should be noted that in 1972, 18-year-olds were added to the eligible voting population, thus decreasing the percentages. Nonetheless, voter tu...
When analyzing the voting turn out in this nation is becomes evident that the youth of America tends to be less active compared to their elders. Written in the book "Is Voting for Young People" by Martin P. Wattenberg he breaks down the key components connecting the youth of America to voting in order to come to the conclusion of how active the youth is in politics, and ways to make them more involved.
Political inactivity on the part of young Americans stems from one fundamental source -- a general cynicism of the American political process. This disdain for politics is further perpetuated by a lack of voter education and a needlessly archaic voting procedure that creates barriers to voting where they need not exist. While many of these existing problems can be rectified with relative ease through the implementation of programs such as Internet voting and better voter education, such programs create only a partial solution.
Topic: The voting age in Canada. This topic is relevant to the audience because we the youth should be given the right to vote. This essay will state why the youth should be given the right to vote and provides a call to action to inform the audience of what they can do.
In 2011, one of these laws was passed in Texas. As a result, 93-year old Viviette Applewhite was not able to cast her vote in the general elections of 2012, as she had no driver’s license and was adopted as a young child. This woman, who had voted in every election since 1960, is one out of many who have been negatively impacted by the latest forms of strict voter ID laws that have been passed in more than 10 states. Besides causing disenfranchisement, voter id laws create barriers between citizens and the polls. An estimated 21 million people (11% of the population) do not have a driver’s license, and therefore would have no photo ID to “deserve” their right to vote, a right that no American citizen should have to earn. Most affected are the elderly, low income, and minority groups that tend to lean to the Democratic side. It is also detrimental to those living in rural regions far from areas to acquire the necessary documents in obtaining an ID. These people are eligible vot...
Today in America, less than half of young voters between the ages of 18 and 24 vote (TheBestColleges.org). What most of these new adults fail to realize, is that their government depends on them to vote and elect new leaders to represent their country. Many of them make excuses to avoid voting, when really, they benefit most from voting.
The voting age must be lowered if America is to be a free and democratic nation, and youth are to be granted their human right to take part in the business of their nation by being allowed to vote. Works Cited D. G. The "Elective Election" Education Week on the Web! 10 Feb. 1998. http://www.edweek.org/ew/vol-11/13boxh11.
“The Pigman” is an older novel by Paul Zindel that is not well written, but has a good plot. Starts in Franklin High, at one point they venture into the zoo and a substantial amount of time is spent in Mr.Pignati’s home. John, an attractive high school student who isn’t the most fond of school. Lorraine is John’s friend, she is a good student/person and isn’t the most attractive person.
Voting participation is one of the most common controversies in today’s society. Thom File of the Young Adult Voting: An Analysis of Presidential Elections, 1964-2012 states that, “Voting rates, which represent the number of voters relative to a given population or subpopulation, have varied across recent election cycles with the general outcome being that voting rates increase with age. In every presidential election since 1964, young voters between the ages of 18 through 24 have consis-tently voted at lower rates than all other age groups, although young-adult voting rates have fluctuated from one election to another (Young Adult Voting: An Analysis of Presidential Elections,
“Voter ID laws require individuals to show government-endorsed identification when casting their ballots on Election Day” (Wilson and Brewer). Many people see these laws as necessary to prevent voting fraud, others argue that fraud is extremely rare and that voter ID laws can suppress voting. Voter fraud undermines public confidence in democracy, and that's why we need, whether you are a Democr...
Although there are 44 million eligible young voters ages 18-29, in 2012 only 45% of them voted. These young people make up one fifth, or 21%, of the eligible voting population, yet they often do not vote. Voting is a tremendous gift. Young people in many other countries around the world have to fight to gain this right. In America, voting is often taken for granted by all age groups, but the youth take it for granted the most. In this paper, the reason why young people do not vote will be explored and solutions as to how to get them to vote will be proposed.
According to researcher Henry Milner about 60 per cent of young people have little ability to make relevant distinctions about politics in Canada. This shows the ignorance held towards politics in the lives of Canadians. Attesting to the fact, forcing people into voting when they are